Steven Taylor - England material

Steven Taylor earned the praises of NUFC manager Alan Pardew after yet another fine performance during Newcastle's 2-1 win over Stoke City on Sunday. 

"Steven Taylor was immense," he said. "He was brilliant. It was an England-standard performance. England need to look at Steven at centre-half.


Newcastle's squad was boosted by the arrival of 5 new players in January and all these lads have added so much to the squad yet it could be the return to fitness of the big Geordie defender which proves to be the biggest boost for the season run in. 

Taylor's return also coincided with a time of turmoil as NUFC as club captain Fabricio Coloccini revealed he wanted to leave the club and return to his native Argentina. As we know the club did there best to convince Colo to stay with the club until at least the summer. As fans we were ready to see Taylor and Colo be re-united in a defensive partnership, but we were left uncertain as a result of Coloccini's personal issues.

Regardless of injuries or personal issues we all knew another centre half was a transfer must during the January window. The club delivered in bringing in Mapou Yanga Mbiwa - This lad is class and will go on to be a top top defender for both club and country.

For me all of the panic and disillusion surrounding Coloccini leaving the club is slowly dissolving and I can see a bright future with Taylor and Mbiwa as our defensive backbone. 

On the international stage Taylor is certainly staking a claim to at least earn a spot in Roy Hodgsons squad. England fans have long cried out for a squad picked on current form and not reputations. To be fair Hodgson has shown he is willing to give players a chance - not many of us would have thought Leon Osman would become a regular in the England squad.

With Rio Ferdinand no longer in and around the England squad and with John Terry's injury record there is a problem at centre half for England. Taylor's competition for a place in the squad will be:

Phil Jagielka
Joleon Lescott
Gary Cahill
Chris Smalling
Michael Dawson

I am not saying Taylor is better than all these lads, however other than Jagielka not all are currently first team choices for their club. If the squad is picked on current form then wor Steven should certainly pick up his first England cap in the coming months and of course will the World cup coming up next year what better time to breaking into the Squad.

Taylor is one of us, a real fans favourite. He obviously has a real passion for our club and wears the Black & White with huge pride. To see a Geordie succeed on  a international level would be a huge boost for the club and the city. 

"It would be a dream come true," said Taylor. "I've always said it's the greatest honour for a professional footballer and, for me, it would be the icing on the cake. But Mr Hodgson has the final say."